Closing gas-retorts



N. AUBIN.

Gas Retort;

No. 17,068. Patented Apr. 21, 1857.

Witnesses= lnventon AM. PHUTO-LITHQCQNX. (O SHORNE S PROCESS.)

N. AUBIN, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

CLOSING GAS-RETORTS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,068, dated April 21, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, N, AUBIN, of Albany. in the county of Albany andState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Generating Gas; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the drawings accompanyingthis specification, in which the same letters designate like parts ineach of the figures. I

The nature of my improvement consists in constructing retorts forgenerating gas, so that they can be opened or closed without lutingforthe purpose of conveniently introducing the gas making materials andWithdrawing the residuum; and at the same time to provide a new, sureand cheap safety valve to prevent explosions.

To enable others skilled in the art to make I and use my invention Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring tothe drawing in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of thein its place, the alloy becomes solid and Figure 1, represents aperpendicular secg tion of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section of I thecover to the retort. Fig. 3 is a perspecfigures, to wit tive view of theretort. Fig. 4 1s a profile of the cover. 5 is a plan of the box forintroducing the gas making materials.

A is an upright retort open at the upper end and provided with a flangeb to support it in a stove or masonry. In that flange is a circulargroove a cast or formed around.

the edge of the open end of the retort.

E is an exit pipe for conducting off the as. g B is a circular coverwith a rim or flange inclining toward the center as represented.

b is a handle to the cover for the purpose of raising it by means of ahook.

C is a separate movable circular box provided with legs a, and a guiderod 1n the center a On opposite sides of the box C are cast two loops afor working on a hanrosin, grease or other such material, and the vesselD placed over upon it. The box C so arranged is then introduced into theretort. The groove a is filled with a fusible alloy composed of bismuth,lead and tin, or such other alloy, or metal, as will meet at acomparatively low temperature and will not vaporize or oxidize. Thecover B is then replaced so that its rim dips into the alloy or metal insaid groove, thus forming an hermetic packing. The heat radiated fromthe retort melts the rosen contained in box C. As the rosen is so meltedthe vessel or weight D sinks into it and expels it over the edges ofsaid box Ccausing it to fall upon the heated bottom of the retort, whereit is converted into gas. When the gas making materialis exhausted, thecover B islifted off, the box C and vessel D are removed by means of thehandle a, a box of similar construction filled with fresh gas makingmaterial with the vessel or weight arranged as before are introducedinto the retort, the cover replaced and theoperation goes on as beforewithout further trouble.

If the retort is left to cool with the cover does not form metallicconnection with iron,

the oxidized surface of which has not been removed by filing, planing,or otherwise.

I am aware that what is technically called the water joint is an olddevice, and that mercury and other liquids have been used for makingjoints; and that in some cases, where there is no pressure to overcome,(as for connecting parts of hot air furnaces) sand has also been used.But for the purpose for which my improvements are adapted, none of thesedevices will answer; both mercury and water soon evaporating whenheated, and the latter being very expensive and injurious to health.Neither will certain solutions used for closing distillingapparatusanswer, as although they do not volatilize easily, the heatacquired by the retort Where the joint is made, during certain periodsin the process of gas making is an equivalent for my arrangement, nor

have they ever, to my knowlege, been used for the same purposes.

When compared with the methods in ordinary use forclosing retorts, theadvantages of my improvements are at once apparent. Those methods are bybolts or screws, or luting, or other like means, which require time andcare to manage them and more knowledge than ordinary servants possess.If therefore used in connection with my recent improvements ingenerating gas from rosin, grease, &c., at one operation andwithoutprevious melting, &c., they would greatly lessen their value. Asthat process requires the frequent opening and closing of the retortwhile in continuous operation for introducing the material and removingthe residuum, and therefore the old methods will not answer. In additionto the above, retorts much used require frequent cleaning (oftentimeswhen heated) and if closed by the old methods, as frequent breaking andmaking of joints, which causes great labor and inconvenience, and, ifcarelessly made, also leakage and offensive odors. With my arrangementall the above difficulties are avoided-the retort can be opened orclosed at pleasure by merely lifting the cover off or onwhen heated tooperate the apparatus'and when cold to clean it. But there is a greateradvantage still attending it.

Retorts for generating gas, if closed by permanent fastenings when inoperation, are highly dangerous and have caused the most seriousaccidents from explosions, which must be the case where no means areadopted to guard against the effects of stopping up the exit pipe byclogging or otherwise. With my arrangement no such danger exists, as itforms a perfect safety valve without additional cost or liability toleakage or getting out of .orderand as far as I know is the onlyadvantageous way of effecting such end, as safety valves used for otherpurposes cannot be adapted to gas retorts, as the tar baking would sooncause leakage and clog its operation.

For the above reasons I claim that my improvements not only facilitateand economize the operation of gas retorts where now used, but arecalculated to greatly extend their use to private establishments wherecommon laborers must be relied on and economy, simplicity and theabsence of danger are necessities.

In the above described apparatus, I do not claim the boX for introducingthe materials for generating gas, but

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis The cover B with the compound rim a fitting into the groove a for thepurposes set forth in the above specification, substantially asdescribed.

N. AUBIN.

Witnesses JOHN L. SMITH, It. B, HUGHES.

